Clothespin



Oct. 31, 1950 o 3 2,527,674

CLOTHESPIN Filed May 5, 1947 v a II II V! II I II II 1' II II IN ENTOR- OTTO f/ C 01.0

By Ms ATTORNEYS HA AP/S, Mac/1, F05 TER 2/744 RR/S Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED oLo'rHEsPIN I v Otto C oldlios Angelesgidalijf."

Application May 3, 1947, Serial No.'745,811

My invention relates generally to fastening devices and particularly to fastening devices .of g the clothespin-type used for securing articles of apparel and the like to clotheslines. i 7

i one object of the invention is to. provide I fastening device of the character referred to,

-which is adapted for economical manufacture from a single strip of plastic. material or metal which is rustproof and free from sharp edges so that it may be used without injuring the clothes supported by the line.

Another object is to provide a fastening device of the type indicated which is provided with clamping means at one end and a finger piece at the other end, the device being applied to the line by pulling it downwardly thereover by means of the finger piece.

Another object is to provide a device of the type specified which is particularly strong and durable in use and one which exerts considerable clamping force against the line to effectively retain the clothes thereon.

Further objects will be apparent from the following specification and the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a clothesline illustrating the manner in which an article of apparel, or the like, is secured to the lineby means of the present improved fastening device;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the device, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the fastening device;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device, showing it used as a holder for textile objects.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my improved fastening device or clothespin 5 consists of a single strip of plastic or other material which is stamped out to the shape herein shown. The device has a central body portion 6 which is slit longitudinally to provide a pair of spaced fingers l and 8 at the sides thereof and a centrally disposed finger 9 disposed between the pair of fingers. The fingers l and 8 are offset laterally from the plane of the body portion 6 but the finger 9 is disposed in the plane of the body portion, as shown in Fig. 2.

Adjacent the upper end of the device, the central finger 9 is looped at In and then continued downwardly to provide a curved resilient clamping portion or jaw i2 which is disposed out of the plane of the body portion 6 and at the side of the 1 Claim. (01. 24-137 2 offset portions of the fingers 'l and 8, as illustrated in Fig; 2, to provide a reentrant opening [2' therebetween.

Thelower end of the body portion 6 is extended in a rounded finger piece ls which is inclined with respect thereto, the finger piece having an aperture 14.

To apply the device 5 to use in clamping a textile article 15 to the clothesline IS, the finger from the fingers l and 8 and as the device continues its downward movement the line will come to rest within the space between the jaw and the fingers (Fig. 2) and, due to the inherent resiliency of the jaw and fingers, the line together with the looped portion of its supported article I5 is tightly clamped between the jaw and the fingers, as shown in Fig. 4. Due to its clamping action, the device effectively resists any forces which tend to strip the article from the clothesline. To remove the article l5 from the line IE it is only necessary to push the fastening device 5 upwardly by means of the finger piece l3, this action causing withdrawal of the line from between the jaw I2 and the offset fingers 'l and 8.

It has been found that the fastening device 5 is also adapted for use in holding various textile articles such as towels, dishcloths and the like. To apply the device to such use its apertured finger piece I3 is hooked over a fastenerZll held in a wall or other vertical support 2| as shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the device is mounted in inverted position sothat a portion of the textile article 22 can be looped between the jaw I2 and fingers l and 8 to be clamped therebetween.

It will be observed from the foregoing that my invention provides a simple, yet highly eflicient fastening device of the clothespin-type. The improved device functions in a more positive manner to securely clamp articles of a textile nature to a clothesline. As a feature of improve ment, the device is constructed in such a manner that it may be applied to a line by pulling it onto the line instead of pushing it thereon and this greatly facilitates the operation. Since the device is preferably made from plastic material, it will not rust or deteriorate when exposed to severe weather conditions and because it has no sharp edges, as is the case with metallic fasteners, it will not injure the articles supported by the line.

While I have herein shown and described the improved fastening device as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it will be obvious that various changes may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to be limited in this respect but desire to be afiorded the full scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A fastening device of the clothespin type for securing an article to a line, consisting of a single strip of sheet material so formed as to provide: a body portion; a fingerpiece at the lower end of said body portion extending obliquely from one side of said body portion in a forward and downward direction; a centrally disposed, resilient clamping jaw extending laterally and downweirdly from the upper end of said body portion in spaced relation to the other side thereof, said jaw defining with said body portion a reentrant opening for receiving a line, together with an article looped over the line, the lower end of said jaw extending obliquely in a rearward and downward direction; and a pair of resilient clamping fingers, each disposed adjacent a side of said clamping jaw and having a rearwardly extending curved portion and a straight, oblique portion projecting upwardly and forwardly from said curved portion with its end disposed substantially in alignment with the plane of the body portion, said pair of clamping fingers and said clamping jaw being adapted to receive and clamp the line and article therebetween, the lower portion of said re-entrant opening defined by said curved portions of said fingers and said clamping jaw being of less width than the upper portion of said opening defined by said clamping jaw and said body portion, said body portion, said fingerpiece, said clamping jaw and said clamping fingers being substantially channel-shaped in cross section.

OTTO H. COLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 180,004 Tabler June 16, 1906 1,157,451 Stuch et al Oct. 19, 1915 1,674,894 Engle June 26, 1928 1,873,881 Hall Aug. 23, 1932 2,125,202 Sauer July 26, 1938 

